Fool's Errands
by skullcandyklive
Summary: When Tatsumi found himself on the receiving end of the infamous one hit kill sword, Murasame, he had never expected that his friends would come to save him, much less for them to suddenly drop down from the sky and for them to be followed by a red-haired boy riding an S-class danger beast. How will this sudden turn of events affect their future? Read to find out more.
1. Meet The Fool

**Chapter 1: Meet the Fool**

 **...**

 **...**

 **(Some forest 60 miles from the Imperial Capital, Imperial year 1024, Day 1, 7:00 AM)**

Navigating through a forest to get to one's destination isn't a skill that most people have, despite its occasional usefulness. People seem to think that getting from point A to point B with only a map and through a forest would be no different than doing so under normal circumstances. Of course, the native villagers, who thrive from the forest's natural resources and often venture deep into its heart, would find such skill to be indespensible and they would definitely know how easy it would be to get lost in a forest.

At least, majority of the villagers do. Afterall, there is always an exception.

Of course, Ieyasu did not count in such category because a guy like him _never_ gets lost and he _always_ knows his way around a forest.

Giving his surroundings a firm nod in an attempt to look like he was sure of what he was doing under Sayo's fierce glare, Ieyasu pointed in front of them confidently with a close-eyed smile.

"We just need to keep on trudging ahead and we'll be in the capital before sundown" Ieyasu said confidently, before turning to his female companion, Sayo...

...who chose that moment to punch the headband-wearing boy right in the face, effectively knocking him down on his butt.

"That's what you said yesterday, Ieyasu" Sayo said irritatedly with crossed arms, twitching eyebrows and gritted teeth as she continued. "and the day before yesterday and the day before that."

She opened her eyes to give the boy in front of her a firece glare that made the young lad wilt under her anger. He probably would've retorted to that with his own argument, if it weren't for that fact that he had none. What Sayo said was true, he basically had no idea where they were and, for all intents and purposes, they were lost.

Also, it was probably wiser to let her vent out her anger and concede, than to risk saying something that makes her even angrier.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, afterall.

"Okay, I admit it, we're lost" Ieyasu conceded and was rewarded by a full 30 minute lecture and sermon about how he should've taken the navigation lessons more seriously and how he wouldn't be able to navigate his way out of a paperbag courtesy of an infuriated Sayo.

After Sayo seemingly got everything off her chest and finally stopped her tirade, Ieyasu dared to look up at his female best friend, only to see that she was looking at a random direction distantly with a concerned expression on her face.

"Sayo?" He prompted worriedly.

"Do you think Tatsumi is doing okay?" She asked with the same concerned expression on her face.

So, that's what she was worrying about. Truth be told, he was really worried sick about their best friend. Who could blame him? Its been a while since they were seperated by those bandits and while they had each other, Tatsumi was probably alone fending for himself, which wasn't a thought either of them were comfortable with.

A better part of him knew that there was no reason to worry and that their best friend was fully capable of taking care of himself, but still...

"I'm sure, he's doing fine. You know Tatsumi, he can take care of himself" Ieyasu said with a half-hearted tone, not sounding like he was convinced with what he was saying.

...the possibility always existed.

Sayo said nothing and continued to stare in the distance with the same expression on her face. Not that he could blame her, Ieyasu didn't sound very convincing in the first place and with good reason, too.

For the longest time, they stayed silent and said nothing; quietly worrying for their best friend and wondering what he may be up to. They didn't really expect for things to turn out this way; for them to be separated like this, so for it to be happening is a little...discomforting.

"I'm sure we'll see him soon enough, we just need to get to the capital and we'll be reunited" Ieyasu said enthusiastically with a fist pump in an attempt to break the silence.

Sayo's head snapped to face him with a fiery glare and he immediately regretted his decision to break the silence.

Or at least the words he used to break said silence. The last thing he wanted was to remind Sayo of the reason she had been so angry in the first place.

Sayo took in a deep breath to start her scolding anew and Ieyasu winced in anticipation, but before Sayo could scold her best friend again, a booming clap of thunder resounded in the forest, which prompted both of them to look up at the sky.

Unsurprisingly, storm clouds were starting roll in and brief flashes of lightning flashed in the sky. A storm was definitely coming soon and from the looks of how dark the clouds were both of them didn't want to get in the middle of this one.

"We should find shelter" Sayo suggested, which only made Ieyasu nod in agreement. "I saw a cave entrance on the side of a cliff a while back, it'll have to do"

Ieyasu sighed in relief, when Sayo turned to head back to where she saw the cave entrance. It looked like he got off lucky and avoided another tirade.

As if reading his thoughts, Sayo turned back and said: "And don't think you got off the hook, Ieyasu, we'll continue this conversation after we get to that cave." with a fierce glare.

Ieyasu wilted and opted for following Sayo to wherever she found that cave entrance, while crying comical tears.

He was really starting to regret not practicing his navigation skills before they had left the village.

...

Sayo was clearly pissed.

That much was completely obvious, since she had taken the initiative of putting as much distance between them as possible by walking ahead of him by a few paces and not even glancing at his general direction.

However, she wasn't pissed because of the typical annoyance that her best friend couldn't navigate his way out of a paperbag.

She was mad because every second they spent walking around in circles in this forest, they were letting their best friend, Tatsumi, down. She dreaded to imagine what kind of hardships their best friend was currently going through right now.

Then again, knowing Tatsumi's navigation skills, he was probably just a few minutes away from the capital, if he wasn't already there now.

That thought just got her even more riled up, Tatsumi was probably waiting at the capital for them already and here they were still walking around in circles.

Sayo purposely ignored Ieyasu's calls for her to slow down and simply opted for walking even faster.

She just kept her gaze in front of her as she increased her pace. Her pace didn't even falter as she burst out of the treeline and into a clearing where she spotted the cave that was connected to the side of a cliff a while ago.

Of course, once she got a good look of what was actually in front of her, only then did she stop her accelarated cadence on the spot.

She blinked once. Twice. Three times.

The image in front of her did not falter or distort in the slightest, so what she was currently looking at was definitely real and was, by no means, a hallucination, at least she couldn't dind any signs that would indicate it to be as such.

Given what she was looking at, however, she kind of wished that she was hallucinating or, at the very least, dreaming.

As if to put the final nail in the coffin, when she pinched herself in the forearm, hard enough to make her hiss in pain, nothing happened.

Okay, so evidently there really was a sleeping Diamondback Wyvern right infront of her and she really was within striking range for this gargantuan S-class danger beast.

At that realization, all color drained away from Sayo's face in an instant as she slowly and carefully backed away, as if any noise she made would lead to her death. Given the situation, that wasn't entirely false, since danger beasts are known for their heightened senses.

With any luck, she would be able to quietly back away from this wyvern and gain a safe distance, before it takes notice of her presence and/or decides to wake-

"Sayo, slow down! I said I was sorry like a thousand times now. I admit that I screwed up!" Came Ieyasu's shouts and Sayo's rage suddenly overcame her fear as she turned to the direction of the voice.

"I admit that were lost! I admit it's my fault! I admit that I am a terrible navigator!" Before Ieyasu could continue his rant any further, Sayo walked up to him once he burst out of the treeline and landed a firm blow to his face again.

Both because of her annoyance and irritation at his timing and because of her panicked urgency to shut him up, before the diamondback noticed the noise.

Sayo turned to Ieyasu and was about to give him a stern glare to silence any further words from him, but found him with a horrified expression on his face as he stared at her...

...or behind her.

As if on cue, a towering shadow suddenly loomed over the two of them and Sayo gulped in realization. She already knew what was behind her and already knew that the diamondback was awake, but she wanted to be absolutely sure, so she turned around to face the source of the shadow that loomed over them.

She already had a rough idea of what she was going to see, yet somehow knowing what she was going to see did nothing to minimize the fear she now felt...

...not to mention the irritation she held towards her bestfriend.

She made a mental note to give him a piece of her mind if they survive this.

Anyhoo, towering over them as it drew itself up to its full height, which was roughly ten times their own height, using its winged forelegs was a monster that not many people have gazed upon so closely and lived to tell the tale. The towering creature had gray-like scales that resembled rocks because of their texture and how hard they looked, which was only appropriate since this creature is known for its tough scales that most weapons are unable to pierce through, adorning its thick hide and reptilian body.

Running along the spines on its back starting from its to its skull up to its tail were the main reason for this creature's name; a sparkling rows of diamonds that were roughly the size of human skulls that jutted backwards in spikes. On the tip of its tail were a cluster of diamonds that seemed to form the world's most expensive spearhead.

On top of this creature's head was what appeared to be several clusters of diamonds that were connected to the row of diamonds on its spine and jutted backwards and framed its face and jaws. The creature's talons were also made of the precious stone.

With its muscular form, it was clear that this danger beast had both strength and speed in its arsenal in addition to the diamond hard weapons it boasted. Just by looking at it one could tell that this was an S-class danger beast that was as dangerous as its diamonds were expensive, which only meant that their chances of survival would be very slim, if they had any to begin with.

Sayo and Ieyasu were completely terrified to be at the receiving end of its silver-eyed glare, which was perfectly reasonable because anyone who found themselves on the receiving end of this danger beast's glare never lived to tell the tale.

Its dragonic eyes looked down at them, as if considering whether to eat them or not. For their part, they both simply froze, both because of the fear that they currently felt and because they were working under the assumption that any sudden movement would only worsen their situation.

If they were wrong about that assumption, then they just wasted precious seconds in trying to escape, if they were right, then they may have just saved their lives.

Either way, this was a gamble and they both knew it. They were literally betting their lives on their unspoken assumption. They could do nothing, but watch the chips fall where they may, as they observed the wyvern for any reactions.

"Omen, I'm home!" A male voice suddenly shouted happily.

Both of them blinked at that loud declaration in disbelief, which came right behind them. They really wanted to see who it was (and maybe smack him upside the head for his shout), but they couldn't bring themselves to turn away from the wyvern.

Also, who was the boy calling out to? There was no one here other than them and the wyvern.

As if to answer their question, a boy that was slightly taller than them by a few inches, who was dragging something by a rope over his shoulder, casually made his way past them and towards the Diamondback wyvern. The way he so casually did this was a testament of the fact that this was likely a routine of sorts.

Sayo and Ieyasu were under the impression that this particular Diamondback wasn't an ordinary S-class danger beast and that the only reason they were still alive right now was because it wasn't an ordinary one.

"You hungry, Omen? Because I got us a good meal today and it's our favorite, Evil Birds!" Exclaimed the young man excitedly.

As soon as they heard that, they tensed even more and held on to their breath as they turned to the wyvern that had been casually approached the danger beast.

Only for their jaws to drop to the ground in disbelief at the sight before them, which was, as far as they knew, completely and utterly stupid and dangerous, not to mention downright ridiculous.

The wyvern was laying on the ground on its stomach, while the boy was scratching its chin and the top of its head, like it was some pet. Judging by the wyvern swinging tail, kicking hindlegs, and closed eyes, it seemed to be enjoying whatever the boy was doing. A boy, who was roughly the same age as them, treating an S-class danger beast, who had scales that would put almost every weapon to shame, like it was his pet dog definitely wasn't something either of them expected to see today...or in their lifetime, for that matter.

Sayo saw the wyvern open its eyes and it stared at her, causing her wilt in fright at the sudden attention. She just realized that they may have wasted a perfectly good opportunity to escape because of they were too busy gaping at the scene playing before their very eyes.

The Diamondback made a gesture with its head towards her direction, causing the boy, who had his back turned to them, to pause in his previous activity and turn to face them.

The boy had long unruly scarlet red hair that branched out from his head in spikes, like a mane on a lion, while some of it flowed down the back of his neck. He had golden yellow eyes that were eying them with innocent curiosity, along with milky white skin that seemed to be somewhat covered in a coat of dust. He wore a white button-down long-sleeved shirt that was folded up to his elbows under a short-sleeved navy blue hawaiian shirt with sunflower prints. Along with that he wore a pair of dark red trousers that was folded up to his knees, which revealed the white inner fabric. He also had a white scarf of some sort tied to around his waist. On the right side of his waist was an abnormally large scimitar and now that Sayo looked close enough, he actually had a scar over his left eye that vaguely resembled a claw mark with three scratches, granted his left eye seemed to be just fine.

The boy looked to be about the same age as them, albeit slightly taller and thinner than Iegasu or Tatsumi, but Sayo had a feeling that this boy's figure was more lean and toned than either of them, despite his skinny physiqe, that he was more experienced than all them combined.

"Hmm?" He tilted his head curiously at them, before he looked up when a roar of thunder sounded up ahead. He looked back at them again with a wide heartwarming smile. "If you're looking for a place to stay, you're welcome to come join us in our cave." He offered happily.

Sayo looked uneasily at the Diamondback that was staring at them uneasily. She really wasn't all that eager to get in a closer proximity and/or isolated location with said danger beast any time soon. Granted, the boy seemed to have tamed the danger beast to a certain extent.

As if spotting her unease, the boy reassured and happily. "Don't worry about Omen, he doesn't like eating people and he only attacks them, if he thinks they're a threat, so you have no reason to worry"

"I-I see" Sayo managed to stutter out in disbelief.

Just then another roar of thunder sounded in the clearing, which caused the boy to look up with a slightly thoughtful look on his face, before turning to them with a worried smile.

"I think its best that we all get in the cave now" He suggested to them with worried eyes.

"Why is that?" Sayo said suspiciously. She was starting to question why he was so adamant about giving them shelter.

The boy only shrugged casually with an uneasy smile.

"Between you and me, getting wet is the least of your worries, when your in the middle of a storm in this forest." He said with forced smile as another roar of thunder resounded in the clearing.

Sayo raised and eyebrow at that and the boy simply pointed to the Diamondback, Omen, who was looking visibly tensed and more alert than before. Sayo saw that and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Those last two claps of thunder didn't come from the storm clouds, if you know what I mean" the boy said casually with a concerned look on his face as he eyed them.

He looked so genuinely worried for them, that Sayo let out a breath and relented, while gracing the boy with a kind smile.

"Okay, thank you" she said and was immediately rewarded with the boy giving her a wide heartwarming smile, before gesturing for them to follow him, as he marched towards the cave's entrance followed by the wyvern.

Sayo immediately followed suit with no hesitation. She heard footsteps behind her and she sighed because she can already imagine the look on Ieyasu's face, as well as, what he was about to ask her.

Ieyasu's face came into view with disbelieving expression, but before he could even speak, she cut him off.

"In case you couldn't figure it out, he was saying that there's another danger beast in the area and that if we chose stay out in the open, then we might as well be sitting ducks" Sayo retorted with narrowed eyes and crossed arms. "And besides, I think its best that we stay close to someone, who actually know their way around this forest" Sayo gave him a pointed glare that made Ieyasu wilt because of his wounded pride.

She turned his attention to the boy who was still marching towards the cave and remembered the smile he showed him.

"I have a feeling that we can trust him" Sayo heard herself say, which prompted Ieyasu to look at the boy as well.

"Hehehehehe"

Sayo's eyebrows furrowed when she heard Ieyasu giggle at her side. She turned to him and he was looking at her, while he waggled his eyebrows suggestively, he pointed at her and then the boy, before he made a heart with his hands and let out another chuckle.

Ieyasu opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything he was knocked out cold by a pissed Sayo, who dragged the boy by his collar towards the cave.

Once they were both inside the cave, the boy looked at her with a raised eyebrow, while eying Ieyasu. Strangely enough, the Diamondback also seemed to be looking at her and she got the impression that it was questioning her as well.

Instead of answering their questioning gazes, she smiled at them kindly and said:

"My name is Sayo and this idiot is Ieyasu"

The boy gave her another heartwarming smile, before pointing to himself with his thumb.

"You can call me Gnar"

...

...

 **For a more solid idea of how the overall physique of the Diamondback looks like, simply refer to the Tigrex from the monster hunter game series.**

 **So what do you all think? Please feel free to tell me what you thought in the reviews sections and if you'd like to see more, feel free to press the Favorite/Follow button.**

 **I'll see you all next time.**


	2. Fool's Dwelling

**Chapter 2: Fool's Dwelling**

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 **...**

 **(Gnar's Cave, Imperial Year 1024, Day 1, 8:00 AM)**

It was dark.

That's the first thing Sayo realized, when she had entered the cave and managed to take in her surroundings. Gnar looked at her and smiled brightly, before walking to the side of the cave.

"So, would you mind telling what you two are doing in these woods because if you were trying to go sightseeing, then I'm gonna have to tell you here and now that you picked the wrong forest" Gnar asked with a cheerful and casual smile as he picked up, what Sayo assumed were, two random stones on the ground.

"We weren't sightseeing or anything, we actually came here from our village" Sayo replied as she watched as he walked to the cave's wall and proceeded to flick the two stones together, creating a spark.

Her eyes widened when a torch lit up and illuminated the dark cave.

"Like I said, this is the last place you want to find yourselves in, not that I don't appreciate you being here or anything, it's just that this place tends to have a...surplus of S-class danger beasts" Gnar said casually as he started lighting up the row of torches.

"Yeah, well we didn't exactly plan on ending up in this forest, it's just that this goofball got us walking around in circles for the past three days" Sayo said a little irritatingly as she gestured to her still unconscious friend.

Gnar laughed heartily at that and Omen, the Diamondback, placed his winged foreleg on top of his skull. He managed to look like he was facepalming, which made Sayo snicker a little. Gnar started tugging on the rope he was pulling on earlier, dragging whatever was on the other end of the line into the cave with them.

"Word of advice: When traveling to foreign places, always make sure that you're either with someone who actually knows how to navigate or someone who knows their way around" Gnar said happily with a wide heartwarming smile.

"Isn't that more like commonsense" Sayo deadpanned.

"Hahahaha, yeah, probably" Gnar conceded as he continued to pull on the rope. "So, if you came from a village and if you two were lost, then where were you planning on going?" He asked curiously.

"Well, originally, there were three of us, but we got separated by bandits, while we were traveling. We planned on heading towards the Imperial capital to meet up, since that's where we were going in the first place" Sayo said casually, before her expression and tone turned serious.

"We're on a mission to bring fortune back to our village. We were running low on supplies and winter was about to come rolling in, so they sent us to earn money in the capital that we would bring back to the vill-"

"The capital isn't what you think it is"

Sayo blinked at that sudden declaration and she turned her attention to Gnar. He was still pulling on the rope, but he wasn't smiling anymore, he had a serious frown on his face as he continued without looking at her.

"If you think that the capital is a safe haven where you can peacefully and easily earn a fortune for your village, then I'm afraid you got the wrong impression. The Imperial Capital has been a cesspool of crime and corruption for as long as I can remember and it's not showing any signs of changing in the forseeable future" Gnar said with a grim expression. "I'd stay far away from that place, if I were you"

Sayo didn't know what to say to that, she hadn't expected their casual conversation to take such a grim turn so suddenly. Part of her knew that he could be lying to her, but another part of her felt like he was telling the truth and that he believed every word he was saying.

He was speaking out of concern for both of them. To think that he only just met them not 30 minutes ago. Still, she didn't like being told off just because she was a country girl, who may not understand certain things about the capital.

"How would you know that?" Sayo asked suspicious with crossed arms.

"Because I've already been there, one day was all I needed in order to find out just how vile that place actually is" Gnar said before he staryed untying a bundle of giant evil birds, which was in the end of the rope. "I make my way back there sometimes, but only when its absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I wouldn't get within ten miles of that cesspool"

"That may be true, but it doesn't really change things much" Sayo retorted somewhat harshly, while averting her gaze from Gnar. "Our village practically scraped up what little money they had, just so we could get to the imperial capital. Finding out that its a cesspool of corruption doesn't really change the fact that we still need to earn a fortune to save the village and were not going to let their efforts go to waste"

She didn't feel right arguing with him, especially since they practically saved their lives, but still...it was the truth. Even if she saw how corrupt the capital really is, it wouldn't change the fact that they needed to earn money to save their village.

Not to mention, Tatsumi was probably on his way to the capital now, if he wasn't there already. She couldn't leave her best friend to wander that supposed cesspool all by himself, right?

"I see" came Gnar's hollow response as he started setting up the firewood for roasting the evil birds.

After that, an awkward and tense silence ensued for what felt like hours and in that time, Gnar managed to clean and skin an evil bird, skewer it on a spit and roast it over the roaring fire. Sayo envied him, at least, he had something to keep himself busy and distract himself. The silence was practically deafening and the sound of the heavy rain outside, Omen's heavy breathing, and the fire's crackling did nothing to break the tense atmosphere, if anything, it just made things worse.

Sayo looked at Gnar, who stared at the fire with a passive expression. She didn't mean to sound and act ungrateful and harsh to him, especially since he showed a great deal of concern for her and Ieyasu's well-being, not to mention the fact that he practicallu saved them from being potential prey to some random danger beast and gave them food and shelter, but it was the reality of their situation.

They couldn't turn back now, even if they wanted to or if the capital was a vile cesspool, because if they did then they would practically be shooting down their village's hopes and dreams for a bright future.

Sayo shook her head in frustration. Why was she thinking so much about this and why was she feeling so bad about upsetting him anyway? They just met a few minutes ago and he was acting like he could dictate their decisions.

Sayo looked at Gnar who stared at the fire distantly.

Maybe...that's the reason why she felt so bad. Gnar had showed nothing but genuine hospitality and kindness to them, despite their brief time together, and Sayo rewarded that kindness by basically telling him to mind his own business and to f*** off.

"If you'd like to freshen yourself up by taking a bath or showering, then you're free to use the pool deeper in the cave" Gnar broke the silence with an offer in a casual tone. "I'd have to guide you, though"

Sayo subconsciously and subtly eyed the knocked out Ieyasu and the sleeping diamond back blocking the cave's entrance, mentally weighing the pros and cons of leaving her best friend with seemingly sleeping Diamondback.

"Omen has no intentions of eating your sleeping friend, if that's what you're worried about" said Gnar casually as he plucked a torch on the nearby wall.

The delivery was very casual and Sayo couldn't detect any double meaning or accusation in it, but she still winced as if his words were physical blows. It made her feel terrible.

"If you still want that bath, follow me" At that, Gnar started walking further into the cave, living the his roast behind.

Coming to a decision, Sayo followed after him.

Being alone with him would give her an opportunity to apologize or at the very least clear the air between them.

Hopefully.

...

Silence.

The cave was filled with nothing, but silence as they made their way towards the pool, where Gnar was leading her.

Sayo knew that this was her opportunity to clear the air between them because of their prior conversation and she didn't want to waste it, which is why she has taken to thinking through her words carefully, so she wouldn't sound too harsh and ungrateful.

Unfortunately, thinking over her words throughly seemed to be taking more time than she expected. She didn't know what she should say first or how she should say it for that matter.

Sayo mentally sighed in frustration. If she kept this up, then she'll miss her chance altogether.

Coming to a decision, she spoke.

"I'm sorry"

Gnar stopped infront of her ans she stopped as well. He turned to face her and Sayo could see confusion wrinkling his features. She knew that he was playing dumb, though.

"What for? It's not like you did anything wrong." Said Gnar as he eyed her with furrowed eyebrows, before he sighed. "And besides, your decisions and reasons for wanting to the capital were none of my business to begin with. I shouldn't have meddled in your personal affairs and have crossed a line, so there's nothing for you to be sorry abo-"

"You showed us nothing, but hospitality and kindness and even gave us shelter and protection. And all I did was snark at you for showing your concern." Sayo interrupted him, before averting her gaze to the side. "that was an awful thing for me to do, so I'm sorry" Sayo bowed at that, which seemed to catch Gnar off guard, if his uneasy shuffling was any indication.

"It's okay" said Gnar genuinely, which prompted Sayo to rise from her bow. She saw that he had a small smile on his face now. "It's just that...when you said you were going to the capital...I had to say something, I had to try, at least. I've seen countless countryfolk lose their lives in the capital after just one day, I wouldn't be able to live with myself, if I didn't say anything to warn you"

Sayo smiled at him. "Thank you, I appreciate your concern, but we have a friend, who's headed there now, we can't just leave him to face that 'cesspool' alone, right?"

"No one gets left behind, I always say" Said Gnar with a heartwarming smile as they resumed walking into the cave. "If you want I could take you all to the capital after the storm passes, I was actually headed there for my weekly activities."

"That'd be great" Sayo said honestly. The last thing she wanted was to get back in that forest with Ieyasu as her only hope of navigation.

Gnar chuckled heartily at that.

A moment later, Gnar stopped and gestured to a large on the left side of the cave's wall, which was emitting a luminous blue glow.

"We're here" he said with a wide smile. "Welcome to the underground oasis"

Sayo walked up to him and looked inside the cave, only for her eyes to widen in surprise.

When Gnar offered a place for her to take a bath, this was the last thing she expected.

The hole on the side of the cave led to a a very large and spacious enclosure that was well-illuminated by what appeared be glowing blue crystal stalagmites that grew on the sides of the enclosure and a very high ceiling. At the far edge of this spacious area was a very large pool that seemed to glow with blue luminescence and had three mini waterfalls that filled the pool seperately and seemed to flow from a hole on higher up the enclosure's wall. All in all, the combination of the atmosphere, ambiance, and scenery created a sight that was quite relaxing, peaceful, tranquil and beautiful. Sayo definitely wouldn't mind spending an hour or two here, that's for sure, she hadn't had a decent bath in days.

"I assume that you like what you see, then?" Gnar mused happily as he walked towards the pool, while casually gesturing around the enclosure.

"I found this place, when I ventured further into this cave a few years ago and its been my personal bathing room ever since. The pool is really shallow and it gets deeper the closer to the waterfall you get, but it will only be deep enough to submerge you up to your thighs, so I don't recommend that you go swimming in it nor do you have to worry about accidentally drowning. The waterfalls aren't really tio harsh in terms of force and can make for a very decent substitite for a shower. Hopefully this will satisfy all your bathing needs" Gnar continued in a tone that made him sound like a tour guide and salesman as he gave her his wide heartwarming grin.

Sayo managed to regain her bearings in the time it took for Gnar to finish his eccentric little speech. She walked into the enclosure and looked around her surroundings in awe. It was even more beautiful when you get a closer look.

She kneeled down by the edge of the lake and marvelled at the flat glowing crystals that comprised the floor of the shallow pool. No wonder it looked like it was glowing from the entrance.

This was more than what she had expected, when the opportunity to clean herself up was offered to her, but for all the pros that this bathing room had, Sayo still had one primary and instinctive concern that came first and foremost, as far as a place for her to bath in went.

Privacy.

Sayo wasn't exactly the biggest in term of...bust size, but she definitely wasn't small either. She liked to think that she had a rather well-balanced physique that she appreciated and took pride in. However, just because she had a...slightly curvy figure, doesn't mean she liked showing it off. Whatever clothing she owned was designed so that it wouldn't restrict her movements and show any unnecessary skin. Her clothes were conservative, but weren't a hindrance. Having said that, she couldn't help, but think that this whole enclosure was a bit too...open and exposed for her tastes.

She looked at Gnar with narrowed eyes, who looked at her with genuine innocent bewilderment.

"You don't like it?" He asked confusedly, albeit sadly.

"You better not be planning on peeping" she said warningly with a fierce glare, which Gnar only responded with another wide heartwarming grin.

"It never even crossed my mind" was what Gnar said before casually walking back to the doorway. "I'm gonna give you some privacy now!" He cheerfully declared, before her turned to her, when he was already at the door. "You know your way back, right?"

Sayo nodded as she kept her eyes on him.

"Alright then, I'll leave the torch by the wall, so you can light your path." He added happily, before disapperaing from sight.

Sayo looked at the doorway for a few more seconds and strained her ears to hear Gnar's footfalls getting farther and softer with each second. She stared at the doorway for a bit longer, before she deemed thaf it was safe to strip her clothes now.

Hospitable and kind or not, she wasn't going to let some guy that she just met a few minutes ago see what she looked like naked.

She slowly walked backwards towards the edge of the pool, keeping a trained eye on the door and looking for any signs of any peeping tom. She managed to make her way under the mini waterfall, before she finally deemed that the cost was clear and allowed herself to enjoy the water flowing down her body.

And enjoy it she did.

Regardless of how good it felt to be bathing after days on end, she had to keep in mind that she couldn't stay here for long.

No matter how much she wanted to.

...

Once Sayo got back from her bath, Ieyasu had aready woken up and was currently eating a slice of meat from an evil bird that he had lying against the cave wall right next to him and judging by the blissful look on his face, it must've been really good. Then again, Ieyasu hadn't really been a picky eater and they were pretty hungry these past few days.

Off to the side, Gnar greeted her with a wide smile and cheerful wave as he continued to turn the spit on the fifth and final evil bid that he had roasting above the fire. He gestured casually to his right and there she saw a whole roasted evil bird waiting for her.

Sayo looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if asking: "Do you really expect me to all of that by myself"

As of to answer her own question, her stomach growled hungrily, causing Gnar to burst out laughing and for Sayo to glare at him and Ieyasu fiercely, while silently daring the latter to say something or make a wisecrack at her expense. Her best friend wisely stayed quiet, but that could be just because he was too busy eating his meat.

Sayo quietly made her way to the untouched evil bird on the cave wall near Gnar and sat down, before cutting off a piece of meat from the evil bird and taking a bite.

"This is really good" Said Sayo to Gnar, once she swallowed, before taking another bite. She amd Ieyasu had been nothing, but plants, rations, and a couple of wild critters here and there for the past few days, so she was really savoring the meal that she now had.

Gnar simply smiled at her widely, before puffing his chest out in pride as if this was a major milestone in his life.

"At last, I've accomplished one of my life goals; for a girl to commend my culinary skills!" He exclaimed happily, before laughing heartily.

Sayo rolled her eyes at this display. She had a smile on her face though.

"What kind of life goal is that?"

"The kind of life goal that every young man longs to accomplish, having a cute girl commend your cooking is harder than you might think" He declared happily without losing steam.

Sayo rolled her eyes again with a smirk at his enthusiasm. "Don't you think your getting a little too worked up about this?"

"Not at all" he said heartily.

Sayo turned her attention back to eating her meal, when her something suddenly occured to her the previous conversation.

 _Did he just call me cute?_

By the time she turned back to Gnar to confront him, he had turned his attention back to the rotating evil bird with a hungry gleam in his eyes and an eager grin spreading across his face.

As Sayo looked at him, while eating her meal, she found herself wondering about the boy in front of her. It was like he had numerous sides to his, admittedly, eccentric personality. There was the side of him that was hospitable, kind, experienced, no stranger to this forest and its inhabitants, tamed/hunted danger beasts, and did a very good impression of a tour guide/salesman

Then there was the side of him that he showed to her a few minutes prior; the one that showed disdain and anger for the imperial capital and concern and sympathy for the people, who live there, as well as, those who are planning to live there, like her and Ieyasu. Not to mention, his persistence to convince her not to continue on their current plans.

Then there was the side of him that she was looking at now, he looked genuinely innocent and vulnerable, like a child, who knew nothing about the cruelty of the real world. He looked so childish and clueless, like he was still learning about the world around him.

"Well, it looks like the storm is just about to clear up" He said cheerfully, bringing her out of her musings. "I'd say we can all head out to the capital in less than an hour or so"

"Wait, so you're gonna come with us to the capital?" Ieyasu asked with wide eyes, which was only responded with a wide smile.

"That's correct" he said happily. "No offense or anything, but judging by the direction you were going before and your planned destination, I think it's be best that I accompany you both, since you were not only headed the wrong way, but are still a good 60 miles away from the imperial capital" Gnar said with a wide grin, completely oblivious to Ieyasu wilting under Sayo's fierce glare.

"We're grateful that you're doing this" said Sayo as she turned to him with a smile.

"It's no trouble at all, it's always handy to have a tour guide when you're in this forest" Gnar proclaimed happily, before continuing. "Now, would you all prefer take the long way via hiking for several hours through a danger beast-infested forest or would you like to take the short cut via soaring through the stratosphere on Omen's ba-"

"We'll walk!" Sayo and Ieyasu shouted together, before he could even finish.

...

...

 **Okay, so just to clear things up these first two chapters are set when Tatsumi was already staying with Aria's family, so currently, Tatsumi is currently helping the guards with Aria's shopping and the night raid invasion will happen tonight of the same day.**

 **Another thing is that these first 2 chapters are just introductory chapters, as well as, the first half of next chapter. I just wanted to elaborate on how Ieyasu and Sayo can be alive in this AU.**

 **Also, expect longer chapters that range from 5000-6500 words after this chapter.**

 **Next time: Fools in the Capital - Sayo, Ieyasu , Gnar make their way to the imperial capital via hiking and other...means, before they embark on a search mission for Tatsumi, as well as, other activities. Also, Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu are introduced to the harsh reality of the imperial capital, while Night Raid recruits four new members, if only for secrecy purposes.**

 **See you next time. :-)**


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